A division bench of the high court heard a petition filed by seven-year-old Zainab’s father Amin Ansari for seeking seeking a public hanging of his daughter’s murderer. The law officer from the provincial Interior secretary submitted a reply related to the case.

During the hearing, the government prosecutor argued that there is no clause in the law to execute of accused publically. However, the divisional bench rejected the petition, terming it non-maintainable.

Justice Sardar Ahmed Shamim, who was heading the bench, asked if the petitioner had submitted a request to the government in this regard. Ishtiaq Chaudhry, the lawyer for the petitioner, said they had submitted a request to the government, but to no avail.

At this, the judge said the petitioner should have approached the court at that time. “You have come here late. The date of the execution has been fixed for tomorrow,” said Justice Shamim.

A day earlier, a plea seeking to publicly hang Imran, convicted of the rape and murder of seven-year-old Zainab. The petition was filed earlier by Zainab’s father Haji Ameen. The provincial home secretary, Punjab Inspector General of Police (IGP) Amjad Javed Saleemi, and convict Imran have been made respondents to the plea.

A two-member bench of the high court, including Justice Syed Shahbaz Ali Rizvi and Justice Sardar Muhammad Shamim Khan heard the petition.

The legal counsel of Zainab’s father Ishtiaq Chaudhry, in his appeal to the LHC for the public execution of Imran, maintained the stance that the convict is a serial killer.

Addressing the bench, Zainab’s father said that the murderer of Zainab should be given exemplary punishment to stop such incidents in future. “I hope the president will protect the national interest and allow Imran’s public execution,” Haji Ameen said.